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Post Info TOPIC: Mekong going low; farmers' suffer


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Mekong going low; farmers' suffer
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Farmers need emergency aid as Mekong falls
 
Vientiane Times, 23 Feb 2010
 
Seven irrigation projects on the Mekong River in Vientiane are
encountering insufficient water inflow because the river level is
falling more rapidly than usual, an official said on Friday.
 
A pumping station in Pafang village, Hadxaifong district, irrigates
local rice fields. This station has not yet been affected by the rapid
decrease in the Mekong as the river here is deep.
 
Some 3,680 hectares of rice fields in Hadxaifong and Pakngum districts
irrigated by the seven irrigation systems are affected by the rapid
decrease in the level of the river, said a technical official from the
Vientiane Irrigation Division, who asked not to be named.
 
“The situation in these two districts is deemed to be at crisis level.
The drop in the river level is the most serious ever recorded,” he
told Vientiane Times.
 
The river is dropping at an average rate of about 10 centimetres per
day, he said, adding that the water level had been falling
continuously since early this month.
 
The situation is particularly serious at two irrigation projects - one
in Don and the other in Mark-hiew village in Pakngum district.
Officials have been digging to deepen the channels and release water
into the pumping station since December, and are still doing so.
 
Though these seven stations are still operational, they are unable to
run at full capacity due to the insufficient inflow of water, the
official said.
 
“The tubes of the pump at some stations reach underground beneath the
water. We are currently deepening the channels,” he said.
 
Looking towards a long-term solution, on Friday the division submitted
a report on the situation, together with a possible solution, to the
Vientiane mayor and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
 
The division proposed to form a committee to look into the issue. It
also asked for the sum of 632 million kip to dig channels through the
exposed riverbed to allow water to flow into the pumping stations.
 
An additional 915 million kip is needed to move the pumping stations
as the water level falls, he said, adding that this was only the
initial amount proposed.
 
Generally, the river is at its lowest in April and May so the
situation could get even worse.
 
“If action is not taken quickly, this dry season's rice production
could be affected,” he said. In 40 to 50 days from now, the paddy rice
will have the most urgent need for water.
 
Furthermore, the official continued, if the Mekong falls by another
30-50 centimetres, the total 39 irrigation projects in the five
riverside districts of the capital will suffer.
 
This will mean that the districts of Sangthong, Sikhottabong and
Sisattanak will also encounter problems with their rice crops. As much
as 9,135 hectares of rice, irrigated by the 39 projects, could be
affected in total.
 
Khammuan provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department Deputy
Director, Mr Viengkham Xayaphone, said the province had not yet
received any reports of irrigation projects on the river being
affected in the same way.
 
Mr Viengkham noted that the level of the Mekong in Khammuan was at
normal levels. He attributed this to the fact that there are several
tributaries flowing into the Mekong upstream of the province.
 
Last year, irrigation systems in Khammuan suffered from a similar drop
in the level of the Mekong .
 


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Anonymous

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that's because we built many dams in the north ?

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Anonymous

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Anonymous wrote:

that's because we built many dams in the north ?




 there are 14 dams in Yunnan they built on Mekong river, now they have to preserve the Water and they will drain it out during the ranining season..and plus the dams in Laos, such Namgum, Namthurn and other small dams too.. thats sad.. we will become a battery of southeas asia, but will be drought



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Anonymous

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There are no Mekong dams in Laos.  Show me one if you disagree with me.

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Anonymous

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Anonymous wrote:

There are no Mekong dams in Laos.  Show me one if you disagree with me.




 my uncle company work as environmental impact study on the most of  dams in Laos, yes I agree with you there is no a dam in laos at the moment, but the Mekong committee was already approved and allowed chinese campany to build a dam in vienchang province, at the moment, the company making a small research how to start and hire the firms to study the impact and move the resident from the affected zones.

i wish they were just kidding... I personally spoke with chinese manager in vientiane, because my uncle also need a job on environmental survey.



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Anonymous

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are no Mekong dams in Laos.  Show me one if you disagree with me.




 my uncle company work as environmental impact study on the most of  dams in Laos, yes I agree with you there is no a dam in laos at the moment, but the Mekong committee was already approved and allowed chinese campany to build a dam in vienchang province, at the moment, the company making a small research how to start and hire the firms to study the impact and move the resident from the affected zones.

i wish they were just kidding... I personally spoke with chinese manager in vientiane, because my uncle also need a job on environmental survey.



Vientiane province?  Isn't half of the Mekon belong to Thailand?

 



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Guru

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allowing the construction of dams directly over Mekong river (what chinese did)... what kind of crazy people are they?

No need to be an expert to understand that the consequences for millions of people living along the river.. living from the river will be dramatic !!

stupid and crazy world... how can we allow such people to manage countries????

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http://www.paris-vientiane.fr
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